Poll: Americans Hate Healthcare Reform Law, But Love What’s Inside

Never let it be said that we Americans are a consistent bunch.

While 56 percent of Americans say they’re opposed to President Barack Obama’s healthcare-reform law (and 44 percent are in favor), most people approve of the major benefits the law provides, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.

Most Americans — Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike — support many of the law’s keystone tenets, as long they don’t bear the Obama brand. For instance, 80 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of independents support the creation of health exchanges, while 57 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of independents support subsidizing healthcare costs for individuals and families that can’t afford it, the Washington Post reported June 25.

Despite this, 86 percent of Republicans say they oppose the law, as do 73 percent of independents, the poll shows. Democrats favor the bill 75 percent to 25 percent, Reuters reported June 24.

The most unpopular part of the healthcare reform law is the individual mandate, which would require every U.S. resident to own health insurance (subsidized or unsubsidized). Sixty-one percent of Americans oppose this stipulation.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the mandate this week, and could either repeal the law in its entirety, strike down the mandate portion, or leave the law alone. Any of these decisions will likely please few, recent survey data shows.